Skip to main content

Understanding GYM Membership Dynamics


Information gathered from The International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) has shown some interesting patterns about gym membership, attendance and adherence.

Gym Attendance - It is simply the number of times people/clients/members come at the gym.  Attendance patterns have shown 3 peak points when the members can conveniently schedule their gym and can be categorised as before work, lunch break and after work. Attendance is better at the start of the week and waivers during the weekend. Gym attendance is usually analysed at the 6 month mark of the membership. It is seen that there are 3 groups at this stage – the “at risk membership” constituting 44% of members, the “low usage membership” at 27% and the “active membership” category which constitutes of 29% of the members.

ACTION TIP: When a member falls in the “low usage membership” it is red flag and implies that his needs are not being met.

Gym Retention: This refers to the rejoining or membership submission decision of a gym member on expiry of his membership.  Attendance pattern and retention are co-related. Attendance performance is a clear indication if the member is going to retain his membership. It was seen that “low usage membership” rejoined 59% of the time while the “active usage membership” rejoined at 78%. Also the “low usage membership” if converted to ‘high attendees’ rejoined 14% of the time. 

ACTION TIP: As a gym owner, it becomes important to prioritise and achieve an attendance of 3 or 4 or more times a week with new members in the starting month. Also the 14% data shows that contacting the low attendees and working to increase their attendance can influence retention.
Gym Adherence: It concerns the acceptability and compliance of the member to the prescribed fitness program. Adherence is a tad difficult to monitor but directly affects the attendance and the retention. As this is the most vital part of the gym. Members will adhere to the exercise regime if they can see results and benefits from their gym membership. A satisfaction survey reported 44% of members feel the gym involvement to be a contributing factor in retention. The gyms have an attrition rate of 30-50%. But the stats clearly show that there is an opportunity which should be utilised by strengthening the gyms’ resources.

ACTION TIP: Customer service is not simply being friendly. It means focus on the right gym equipment, the right fitness program to achieve the result desired by the member.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Pairing of Kettlebells and Bodyweight

Competition Kettlebells The best way to develop real inner strength is perfect kettlebell training. Kettlebells offer a very unique type of training using dynamic moves which generally target almost every aspect of the fitness including endurance, strength, balance, agility and cardio. The sole reason that people just love this kind of workout is because it's challenging, efficient and just requires one piece of equipment perform the entire exercise. Single-Leg Deadlift Believe it, this is the most sought after and favourite kettlebell exercise throughout the world. It is no doubt a great workout that plays a great role in strengthening the hamstrings, glutes, and back. Moreover, it is a great exercise for both athletic power and back safety. The exercise even teaches the individual valuable skill of overcoming overall tension and staying tight. The Swing The first kettlebell exercise that people must start doing with the help of drills to help them perform a...

5 Tips for Safety on Treadmill

Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of equipment in the fitness regime. Treadmills are known to tone multiple body areas with the right exercise regime. It is of great benefit to regularly use a treadmill. Also, just like any other equipment, treadmills also need safe use guidelines to minimize a risk of accidental injury. Let us look at 5 tips for safe use of treadmill. ·          First thing to remember is to look forward while exercising on the treadmill. It is seen that commonly the beginners like to look at their feet while walking or running on the treadmill. If an exerciser is looking to the sides or down, they have high chances of losing their balance and falling down. The concept is that feet follow the eye, so one is looking sideways the feet may move to one side and the exerciser may trip over the moving belt. Moreover, initially people may feel a little dizzy while walking off the treadmill. To prevent this disorientati...

Beginners, get lucky with cross-trainers!

The start: All gym equipment is cleanly segregated as gym machines and free weights. Best practise for a beginner would be to start with gym machines initially. For beginners to use whether at home or in a commercial gym you need best gym machines for fragile beginners who need a stepping stone. Elliptical trainer is the right start of a exercise program for someone who hasn’t been regular with any fitness regime. The push: Elliptical trainer workout is best to develop aerobic fitness base and train your muscles to burn fat with your workouts. This particular gym equipment provides an aerobic endurance sans the perceived exertion impact associated with running or walking (while replicating the exact motion), which strengthens your body for more challenging workouts. Elliptical trainer forms an important component of beginner fat burning program. The ramp and hands free approach in the workout targets the entire body by exercising the muscles, tendons and joints. Elliptical trai...